Sheep - AgRIS

Nellore crosses with Suffolk showed a decline in dressing percentage on live weight basis
whereas only the Dorset x Mandya expressed a slight decline in dressing percentage on empty
body weight basis.
The higher feedlot gains were obtained in F 1 s over their contemporary purebreds, Suffolk x
Sonadi showed the maximum gains.
Likewise there was improvement in the efficiency of feed conversion in F 1 s over
contemporary purebreds. In this respect the Suffolk crosses with Malpura and Sonadi are
superior than the Dorset crosses. Dorset x Sonadi showed the highest improvement in
efficiency over their contemporary purebreds. There was however, a little difference in per
cent improvement between the Dorset and Suffolk crosses with Mandya and Nellore.
A substantial improvement in greasy wool production was attained in Suffolk and Dorset
crosses with all the native breeds viz. Malpura, Sonadi and Muzaffarnagri. Maximun
improvement was in Sonadi crosses especially with Suffolk. The F 2 s were generally equal and
sometimes superior to F 1 s. There was seen 23.42, 27.15, 1.58 percent improvement in F 1 over
the natives in respect of their final weight, feed efficiency and dressing percentage (Table 11.10
). These figures for F 2 were 30.17, 43.14 and 9.09 per cent respectively. F 2 s showed
5.47,12.58 and 7.39 percent improvement respectively over their F 1 s. The 3/4ths did not show
any advantage over the F 1 s.
The crossbreeding trials under the AICRP on Sheep Breeding thus led to the generation of
one new synthetic mutton strain at C.S.W.R.I., Avikanagar centre through crossing of Suffolk
and Dorset with Malpura and Sonadi by stabilizing the exotic inheritance at 50% level.
Another two synthetic strains have also been developed at Palamner centre through crossing of
Suffolk and Dorset with Nellore and Mandya breeds by stabilizing the exotic inheritance at
50%. The performance of these new synthetics is given in Table 11.11. The new
synthetics/strains were decidedly superior to the indigenous breeds involved, in respect of
feedlot gain, feed conversion efficiency and to a small extent in dressing percentage on live
weight basis. The results further indicated that the new synthetics/strains could attain the
expected target of 30 kg body weight under intensive feeding conditions as well as produce
mutton which is 60% cheaper than by the purebred natives perhaps due to better efficiency of
feed conversion in the halfbreds as compared to the natives.
6. 2. 2.4 Breeding for pelt production
In India sheep, besides being traditionally kept for wool, mutton,skin, manure and to some
extent for milk and transport, are also raised for lamb pelt production to which hardly any
emphasis has been given. It is understood that the Khatik community in Rajasthan does produce
lamb pelts from Malpura breed on a small scale. A research venture during mid seventies and
eighties has been made to add this new dimension to sheep industry in India.
Advantages of lamb pelt production are: Karakul lamb pelts fetch 15-20 dollars in the
international market depending upon their size and quality. In addition to this relatively high
market value of pelts in comparison to other products from sheep, there are a number of
othergoodieatures of maintaining sheep forpeltproduction. The early slaughter of lamb
eliminates mortality in weekling lambs. The mothers whose lambs have been slaughered can be
rebred and thus can produce lambs more often; they can be milked which can be used for
human consumption or they can be used as foster mothers for orphan lambs or for the lambs of
mothers with very poor milk production. Furthermore the elimination of a large number of
lambs at birth will reduce the pressure on feed/fodder resources otherwise required for a longer
period if reared for meat/wool. Other conventional products e.g. wool, mutton, skin, manure
and milk also would become available as by-products from the flocks reared for pelt
production. Thus pelts production would compensate only the disposal of extra male/female
lambs which would otherwise have normally been marketed for meat around 9 months to one
year of age.
Under an Indo-USSR protocol for co-ordination in the field of Agriculture and Animal
Husbandry, the former USSR Government made available 250 Karakul sheep (200 ewes and 50
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